Choice Wordshttp://edexcellence.net/taxonomy/term/16/all
enExcelinEd on the dos and don'ts of course accesshttp://edexcellence.net/articles/excelined-on-the-dos-and-donts-of-course-access
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>ExcelinEd on the dos and don&#039;ts of course access</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/michael-brickman.html">Michael Brickman</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">August 26, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Back in May, Fordham published </span><a href="http://edexcellence.net/publications/expanding-the-education-universe-a-fifty-state-strategy-for-course-choice" style="line-height: 1.538em;"><em>Expanding the Education Universe: A Fifty-State Strategy for Course Choice</em></a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">, where we explained the idea of “course access,” a system that greatly expands learning options by allowing students to take courses from a number of organizations at once. The brief also provided options for policymakers to consider, including funding, provider and student eligibility, and accountability.</span></p>
<p>ExcelinEd has now released a white paper, <a href="http://excelined.org/2014/07/21/leading-era-change-course-access-whitepaper/"><em>Leading in an Era of Change</em></a>, which discusses the recent development of these policies in a number of states and summarizes key design principles for future expansion. Where Fordham’s brief laid out the various specific paths a state might take in policy creation, <span style="line-height: 20.0063037872314px;">ExcelinEd</span>’s paper functions as a list of essential dos and don’ts, answering questions about how to ensure quality providers, engagement with stakeholders, and more. Still, the brief rightly leavers the specific design up to states and districts themselves. Taken together, these two reports act as a guidebook for expanding course availability and student choice in local schools.</p>
<p>As Jeb Bush writes in his foreword to the report, “having a high-quality education must no longer depend on location…the international stakes are too high to restrict access to great courses based on ZIP code.” Indeed, the flexibility of course access eliminates, or at least diminishes, limitations of individual schools and enables students to take classes in new subjects and with potentially better teachers. Of course, implementation of any real reform comes with a plethora of challenges that this new report aims to address.</p>
<p>While pointing out that the quality of some digital-learning programs has been lacking, the authors maintain, “[T]hese programs leverage dramatic advancements in technology not historically available in traditional classrooms and likely to be important preparation for college and careers in the 21st century.” Asserting that there is no one-size-fits-all method for implementing digital learning, the authors outline different types of programs, including state course-access programs, single-district digital-learning programs, multi-district consortium for digital-learning programs, state virtual schools, multi-district online schools, and blended schools. Programs worthy of the name course access in the eyes of the authors already exist in twelve states, and are summarized nicely by author Nathan Martin.</p>
<p>Despite the potential upside of course access, the authors admit that there are difficulties to be overcome, including establishing appropriate systems of oversight and review, the efficient forms of resource allocation, and promoting interagency cooperation. The report offers recommendations on how to avoid or tackle these tough problems and provides “Seven Recommended Core Components of Effective State Course Access Programs:”</p>
<ol><li>Meaningful and rigorous state review of prospective providers and/or courses;</li>
<li>Strong monitoring systems;</li>
<li>Flexible and sustainable funding models;</li>
<li>Alignment with the state’s broader education systems;</li>
<li>Deliberate and sustained engagement with districts and schools;</li>
<li>Effective communication with students and parents; and</li>
<li>Clearly defined student eligibility</li>
</ol><p>Finally, the authors suggest a multistate network that states could join to both share and validate the very best courses from across the country. A multistate network, they say, would make individual course-access programs more efficient by streamlining quality-control methods and expanding the number of courses available to students. The paper concludes with a discussion of next steps and a call to action, reiterating the need for a multistate network in support of state course-access programs.</p>
<p>This new guide is sure to provide lawmakers and their staff with a valuable resource to guide them as they write legislation and to educators who ultimately implement it. Course access is an idea likely to be expanded and adopted in more states. And this guide can help leaders design and implement programs that work for the betterment of children in all states.</p>
<p>Let’s move full speed ahead in offering more courses to more students while taking heed of the lessons learned from course-access early adopters.</p>
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</ul>Tue, 26 Aug 2014 19:04:05 +0000jportnoy@edexcellence.net57392 at http://edexcellence.netSchool Choice in 2014: The year in review (so far)http://edexcellence.net/articles/school-choice-2014-year-review-so-far
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>School Choice in 2014: The year in review (so far)</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/michael-brickman.html">Michael Brickman</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 15, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>As most states’ legislative sessions wind down for the year, it’s not too early to ask how school choice has been faring, particularly when compared with the remarkable gains around the country during the past several years.</p>
<p>Here’s a rundown, in case you haven’t been paying attention:</p>
<ul><li>Since 2011, two states have enacted charter-school laws for the first time (Washington and Maine) and many others have improved their laws (<a href="http://www.publiccharters.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/StateRankings2014.pdf" target="_blank">a dozen did so just last year</a>).</li>
<li>During that time, twenty private-school choice <a href="http://www.allianceforschoolchoice.org/yearbook" target="_blank">programs</a> were created in fifteen states, along with a number of others that were expanded or otherwise reformed.</li>
<li>A handful of states created new “course choice” programs.</li>
<li>In 2011, Arizona enacted the nation’s first education savings account (ESA) program.</li>
</ul><p>Why all of that activity? Much of it can be traced to the Republicans’ wave election in 2010, which made the state-level political environment considerably friendlier to charter schools, vouchers, and other forms of parental choice. Republicans gained nearly 700 legislative seats that year, giving them control over <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/red-tide.aspx" target="_blank">more seats than at any time since 1928</a>. They also gained a net of six governors’ offices. Then they maintained most of this edge in the 2012 election, <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/statevote-legislative-elections.aspx" target="_blank">yielding back</a> only about 150 seats.</p>
<p>Nobody knows what the 2014 elections will bring politically, but the early months of the year have seen less impressive progress educationally, at least in terms of education choice. There have been some key missed opportunities. And many legislators are calling for a moment to catch their breath after so much swift change. It’s also likely that the low-hanging fruit had previously been plucked.</p>
<p>Here are some highlights of the year (to date) on the choice front, with select states receiving ratings of PASS, FAIL, and INCOMPLETE. (Note that not all of these changes move policies in the right direction!) </p>
<p><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/sites/default/files/Map.png" target="_blank"><img height="672" width="974" style="height: 414px; width: 600px;" class="media-element file-default" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Map.png" alt="" /></a></p>
<h3>PASS:</h3>
<h4>Florida</h4>
<p>The Florida Legislature sent school-choice <a href="http://www.redefinedonline.org/2014/05/floridas-school-choice-expansion-headed-gov-rick-scott/" target="_blank">reforms</a> to Governor Scott that would expand the state’s tax-credit scholarship program, while adding some accountability provisions and creating a new education savings account program for students with special needs.</p>
<h4>Kansas</h4>
<p>After a court ruling found the Sunflower State’s funding plan to be inequitable and unconstitutional, a late-night deal traded more dollars for new reforms. The Legislature <a href="http://bit.ly/1i09E0R" target="_blank">passed </a> up to $10 million in corporate tax credits that can be used to fund private scholarships.</p>
<h4>New York</h4>
<p>In a major defensive victory for charter-school advocates, a grassroots campaign and media blitz helped repel an attack on some of New York City’s best charter schools by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The mayor had proposed charging rent (which ain’t cheap in the five boroughs) to co-locating charter schools.</p>
<p>Still, the state’s proposed tax-credit scholarship program, which has been strongly pushed by education reformers, the religious community, and much of organized labor (though not the powerful teacher union!), is on life support but not yet 100 percent dead. Some reports indicate that the proposal might be revived and paired with New York’s version of the Dream Act, giving both Democrats and Republicans a big win.</p>
<h4>Washington</h4>
<p>The state of Washington <a href="http://bit.ly/1tfzQYI" target="_blank">approved</a> its first charter schools ever.</p>
<h4>Wisconsin</h4>
<p>Even with a complete flip of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office from D to R in 2010, Wisconsin just can’t seem to pass a <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/charterschoice/2014/01/charter_expansion_bill_spurs_debate_in_wisconsin.html" target="_blank">new charter law</a> or special-needs voucher. New authorizers are needed outside of Southeastern Wisconsin, but rural Republicans have been a barrier on both issues. Still, the Badger State took a solid first step (or two) toward holding all publicly funded schools accountable for results. One law includes voucher schools in the state report card system. A second requires new private schools to stand on their own for a year before receiving public subsidies. Lawmakers also promise a bill to sanction failing schools in all three sectors in the near future. There is definitely more to do here, but Wisconsin is still moving the ball forward.</p>
<p>A comprehensive list of Wisconsin education bills that passed (and didn’t) can be found <a href="http://bit.ly/1gf30Sp" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<h3>FAIL:</h3>
<h4>Alabama</h4>
<p>A bill failed that would have removed a $7,500 cap on tax credits that individuals can receive for contributing to a scholarship-granting organization. Had it passed, an individual would have been able to receive credits for up to half of their state tax liability.</p>
<h4>Arizona</h4>
<p>A proposal to dramatically expand the state’s innovative Empowerment Scholarship Accounts <a href="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2014/04/arizona_house_votes_down_expan.php" target="_blank">failed</a>, dying in the state legislature. This first-in-the-nation ESA program allows students to use taxpayer money for everything from private-school tuition to tutoring or instructional materials. Any remaining funds can be rolled over into a college savings account.</p>
<h4>Oklahoma</h4>
<p>A bill that would have expanded charter schools into rural areas <a href="http://newsok.com/house-defeats-expanded-school-choice-bill/article/4520127" target="_blank">failed</a> by a wide margin. An education savings account <a href="http://kfor.com/2014/01/17/oklahoma-lawmakers-unveil-education-savings-account-act/" target="_blank">bill</a> also failed.</p>
<h4>Mississippi</h4>
<p>The state legislature failed to make the Magnolia State the second with education savings accounts. The proposal would have allowed students with special needs to take advantage of such flexible accounts. They did, however, pass a very limited choice <a href="http://federationforchildren.org/articles/783" target="_blank">program</a> for certain students with special needs.</p>
<h4>Tennessee</h4>
<p>The Senate approved a bill to introduce school vouchers to the Volunteer State, starting with low-income students. Unfortunately, the bill <a href="http://tn.chalkbeat.org/2014/04/15/tennessee-voucher-bill-nixed-by-house-committee-after-senate-approval/" target="_blank">failed</a> a key House committee vote and appears to have fallen just short again this year after prior failures in the Volunteer State, thanks to Democrats and rural Republicans with cold feet.</p>
<p>The Tennessee Legislature also failed to pass a <a href="http://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/apr/03/tennessee-profit-charter-schools-bill-fails-house-/" target="_blank">bill</a> that would have allowed for-profit charter operators.</p>
<p>On the positive side, a bill has passed that would limit the ways in which the school board in Nashville can deny charter-school applications. The successful bill will allow the State Board of Education to act itself.</p>
<h4>Federal</h4>
<p>Finally, let us consider action at the Federal level, which deserves an Incomplete:</p>
<p>Reps. John Kline and George Miller introduced the <em>Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act</em> in early April. The bipartisan bill would restructure charter-school funds to focus on proven results. The <a href="http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=375882" target="_blank">bill</a> is expected to get a vote in the House but, so far, no word on whether the Senate will take it up (though we hear that staffers there are busy crafting their own version).</p>
<p>Senator Lamar Alexander’s Scholarship for Kids Act and Senator Tim Scott’s CHOICE Act would allow <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/school-choice-and-the-beginnings-of-a-conservative" target="_blank">federal funds to follow children</a> to the school of their choice and will surely be part of the debate if ESEA is ever reauthorized.</p>
<h3>INCOMPLETE:</h3>
<h4>Alaska</h4>
<p>After a plan to amend the state constitution in order to allow vouchers faltered, a new <a href="http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140407/plan-offer-tax-credit-funds-alaska-private-schools-emerges" target="_blank">idea</a> has been floated that would create a unique program similar to a tax-credit scholarship in the state.</p>
<h4>California</h4>
<p>A <a href="http://www.10news.com/news/charter-school-parents-to-protest-ab-1531" target="_blank">bill</a> would give the public-school establishment greater control over charter schools by designating in law who must be on a charter school’s board. It has met fierce resistance from charter advocates and parents but seems to have some life among lawmakers.</p>
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</ul>Thu, 15 May 2014 16:00:50 +0000admin56969 at http://edexcellence.netThe DOJ and Wisconsin’s private-school choice program: a storm is brewinghttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/the-doj-and-wisconsin%E2%80%99s-private-school-choice-program
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>The DOJ and Wisconsin’s private-school choice program: a storm is brewing</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-ext-author-name field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">CJ Szafir</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 12, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">Last week, the </span><em style="line-height: 1.538em;"><a href="http://watchdog.org/141162/school-choice-wisconsin-doj/">Wisconsin Reporter</a></em><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> reported that the United States Department of Justice is still conducting an “ongoing investigation” into whether Wisconsin’s private-school choice program discriminates against children with disabilities and, as a result, violates federal disability law.</span></p>
<p>In 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a complaint with the Justice Department accusing the Wisconsin school-choice program—as well as two private schools in the program—of discriminating against children with disabilities. In April 2013, the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department sent <a href="https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/04_09_13_letter_to_wisconsin_dpi_0.pdf">a letter and legal memo</a> to the state of Wisconsin accusing the school-choice program of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They concluded that unless Wisconsin drastically changes its choice program, the United States will take legal action.</p>
<p>Among its numerous demands, the Justice Department wants private choice schools to be forced to adjust their programming to accommodate all children with disabilities, so long as the accommodation does not “fundamentally alter” the school (an extremely onerous legal standard). Federal disability law, as traditionally interpreted by the U.S. Department of Education, applies a different, less exacting standard to private schools in the choice program. Private schools must only make “minor adjustments” to accommodate students with disabilities. Given that private schools do not receive the same government funding for special education as public schools and may wish to take distinctive approaches to students with behavioral problems, this is perfectly appropriate.</p>
<p>If the Justice Department gets its way, Wisconsin’s school-choice program would eventually collapse, as private schools would be forced to provide services for which they are not funded. The organization that I work for, the Wisconsin Institute for Law &amp; Liberty, responded to the Justice Department, releasing a legal opinion rebutting their letter (the executive summary <a href="http://www.will-law.org/media/a45435b7-8c7f-45ea-9de5-28014901c1c9/2013-08-28%20Executive%20Summary.pdf">is here</a>, and the longer memorandum <a href="http://www.will-law.org/media/87533f0e-0d3e-498c-b6b7-82639c59ee67/Slider/2013-08-28%20WILL%20Response%20to%20US%20DOJ.pdf">is here</a>). A few of our main points can be summarized as follows:</p>
<ol><li><strong>Choice schools are not public entities. </strong>The Justice Department accuses choice schools of violating Title II of the ADA, but this law prohibits <em>public entities</em> from discriminating against children with disabilities. It is simply wrong to argue that private organizations such as private schools that accept public money inherit all of the legal responsibilities of a public entity and therefore fall under Title II of the ADA. A parent using a voucher at a private school is no different from a low-income person using a food stamp at a grocery store.</li>
<li><strong>The Justice Department ignores federal law and administrative policy. </strong>According to the ADA, as well as DOJ’s own technical-assistance manual, private schools are subject to <em>Title III</em> of the ADA, not <em>Title II</em>, as the Justice Department claims<em>. </em>This is no small oversight. Congress has chosen to exempt religious entities, including schools, from Title III, and religious schools make up over 85 percent of the schools in Wisconsin’s choice program.</li>
<li><strong>State discrimination laws already exist. </strong>Under Wisconsin law, it is illegal for any private school, including those in the choice program, to discriminate against children with disabilities. What’s more, the state educational agency, the Department of Public Instruction, has not received any complaints of discrimination.</li>
<li><strong>There is no evidence. </strong>The Justice Department’s investigation, which has been ongoing for three years, has yet to produce any evidence of actual discrimination against children with disabilities.</li>
</ol><p>So where are we now? The Wisconsin Institute for Law &amp; Liberty has obtained public records showing that the Justice Department won’t leave Wisconsin alone. They are ordering the state turn to over private-school enrollment data to the federal government. In addition, the Justice Department wants their other demands to be implemented by the end of the school year.</p>
<p>The Department of Public Instruction seems to understand that they do not have the legal authority to do what the Justice Department is demanding. But choice advocates can take little comfort in this. The agency is led by an independently elected Superintendent of Public Instruction who recently called school-choice expansion “morally wrong.” Our record requests suggest that DPI might go along to get along. Last month, the DPI sent the Justice Department a bizarre story from an <a href="http://occupyriverwest.com/us/stop-dumping-students">Occupy Milwaukee blog</a> of a private school expelling a student, not for being disabled but for failing to meet academic and other standards.</p>
<p>Even though what the Justice Department seeks to do would radically transform Wisconsin education policy, they will not comment on the investigation. The DPI, too, refuses to talk about it. This leaves everyone—parents, choice advocates, and school leaders—wondering what will happen next.</p>
<p>Yet one needs only to look south toward Louisiana, where the Justice Department filed a lawsuit on <a href="http://jaypgreene.com/2013/08/25/doj-lawsuit-would-keep-blacks-in-failing-schools/">equally outrageous grounds</a>, to see that a storm is brewing.</p>
<p><em>CJ Szafir is the associate counsel and education-policy director of the Wisconsin Institute for Law &amp; Liberty (</em><a href="http://www.will-law.org/Home"><em>WILL</em></a><em>), a nonprofit legal organization in Milwaukee that advances free markets, individual liberty, limited government, and a robust civil society. His email is <a href="mailto:cj@will-law.org">cj@will-law.org</a></em><em>.</em></p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 12 May 2014 13:45:51 +0000jportnoy@edexcellence.net56951 at http://edexcellence.netCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Columbus Collegiate Academy and the United Schools Network are EPIC performers in Ohio’s capitalhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-columbus
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: Columbus Collegiate Academy and the United Schools Network are EPIC performers in Ohio’s capital</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/jeff-murray">Jeff Murray</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 12, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>“Quiet dedication” is the most apt description of the staff and administration of <a href="http://unitedschoolsnetwork.org/index.php">United Schools Network</a>, a group of three (soon to be four) charter schools in Columbus. Dedication to hard work and excellence; dedication to innovation and achievement. And that applies to the adults just as much as it does to the students.</p>
<p>What is now Columbus Collegiate Academy – Main began operation in August 2008 with 57 students in rented space in a church building. Hardly ideal circumstances for fostering a revolution in education, but that inaugural class <a href="http://unitedschoolsnetwork.org/images/pdfs/08_09_CCA_OAT_Results.pdf">outperformed every other Columbus middle school</a> (district and charter) in math that year.</p>
<p>CCA’s early <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/test-scores-skyrocket-at-columbus-collegiate">success</a> was a harbinger of things to come. Led by <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/ohio-policy/gadfly/2012/december-19/if-you-dont-come-to-work-you-wont-get-paid-qa-with-andy-boy.html">Andrew Boy</a> (a prestigious <a href="http://buildingexcellentschools.org/the-fellowship/">Building Excellent Schools</a> fellow) and his team, the school turned that one initial class of students into a network of schools that is strong and growing. As it has grown, it has maintained its dedication to underserved Columbus neighborhoods and through its success has garnered the support and respect of community leaders and business professionals.</p>
<p>CCA and the United School Network’s <a href="http://unitedschoolsnetwork.org/ourresults.php">recognition and awards</a> include:</p>
<ul><li><a href="http://unitedschoolsnetwork.org/images/pdfs/09_10_EPIC_Award.pdf">National EPIC Award</a> for dramatic student learning gains (two wins)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.unitedschoolsnetwork.org/images/pdfs/BES_Inflexion%20Fund_PressRelease.pdf">Inflexion Fund Grant Award</a> for closing achievement gaps (national award)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.unitedschoolsnetwork.org/images/pdfs/2013_4_30_Press%20Release_CF%20invests_in_the_growth_of_USN_FINAL.pdf">Columbus Foundation Grant Award</a> in support of inner-city education</li>
<li>Ohio Charter School Leader of the Year Award (John Dues)</li>
<li>Excellent rating on its state report card (2012)</li>
</ul><p>A second school – Columbus Collegiate Academy—West – began in August 2012, again with a small group of students in rented space. By the following year, West had acquired a proper school building and began expansion, including the network’s first elementary school.</p>
<p>Intense and ongoing teacher training, high expectations for adults and children, support for all members of the community, extensive use of diagnostics, a commitment to success, a firm belief that all children can succeed at the highest level, and a passion to make that success come about. These are the values and expectations that have made the United Schools Network stand out in Columbus.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 12 May 2014 12:44:15 +0000jmurray@edexcellence.net56950 at http://edexcellence.netCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: DECA Prep is a high-quality learning labhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-deca-prep
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: DECA Prep is a high-quality learning lab</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/theda-sampson">Theda Sampson</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 08, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img alt="Mr. Tim Carey leads a class as the STEM teacher for DECA Prep" height="313" width="468" style="width: 240px; height: 161px; float: right; margin: 10px;" class="media-element file-default" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/DECA%20Prep.jpg" /></p>
<p><a href="http://decaprep.org/" target="_blank">DECA Prep</a> is a second-year public charter school in Dayton, Ohio, currently serving students in grades K–3 and 6. A grade will be added each year until the school serves grades K–6. It has an open, first-come, first-served enrollment process. Its early results have been impressive: after one year of operations, 97 percent of its third grades are reading at or above grade level.</p>
<p>Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experiences are essential components of DECA Prep’s education curriculum. Its faculty utilizes a continuum of labs and experiments to maximize the relationships between math and science teaching. In class every day, teachers emphasize vocabulary building, informational text, and the use of graphics in observation and lab activities to ease the understanding of complex STEM concepts. In addition, students have access to a science lab classroom.</p>
<p>This commitment to innovation and excellence has not gone unnoticed. The school itself was created with help from a <a href="http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&amp;TopicRelationID=1885&amp;ContentID=108115" target="_blank">Race to the Top award</a> to its sister school, the <a href="http://daytonearlycollege.org/" target="_blank">Dayton Early College Academy (DECA) </a>. And DECA Prep itself was part of a forward-thinking consortium that won a <a href="http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/ohio-gadfly-daily/dayton-stalwarts-awarded-competitive-grants" target="_blank">Straight A Fund Innovation grant</a> from the Ohio Department of Education in 2014.</p>
<p>During a recent site visit, we watched as a second graders transitioned from their home classroom to the STEM Lab, where they worked with the DECA Prep science teacher. The STEM lab classroom contains octagon-shaped tables with drawers and lab chairs. Chalkboards completely cover two of the classroom walls. The lab is outfitted with microscopes and science equipment.</p>
<p>Their teacher guided them through the scientific method to record observations. He explained to the students, “We have been learning about solid and liquids and particles. You will have to do a little more writing than you are used to.” He then described the activity: “I have eleven different solids. We are going to put them in water and see what happens after a couple of days. We are going to look at how and if they change. The first thing you will do is observe the material. I'm going to draw a picture of it, then I'm going to name it. What is this object? What does it look like?” Students answered their teacher, after raising hands. The teacher instructed students to use their journals for each object they were examining by drawing a picture and then writing the name and all the properties.</p>
<p>The focus of DECA Prep is to prepare first-generation urban students to attend college. STEM learning experiences will engage students, prepare them for real-life issues and challenges, and help them become logical thinkers. By instilling the culture of success and rigorous academics in elementary school, students will gain the knowledge, habits, and skills necessary for high school and to prepare them for college. Students do not spend time deciding if they will go to college but where they are going.</p>
<p>It is our pleasure to show you a glimpse inside the life of an excellent school during National Charter Schools Week. To see a little more, check out this <a href="http://decaprep.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=54&amp;Itemid=82" target="_blank">trailer</a> created by DECA students.</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 08 May 2014 17:42:24 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56941 at http://edexcellence.netCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Village Preparatory School :: Woodland Hills Campus adds a new school leaderhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-village
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: Village Preparatory School :: Woodland Hills Campus adds a new school leader</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/miles-caunin-jd">Miles Caunin, J.D.</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 08, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Village Preparatory School: Woodland Hills Campus (VPWH) is located in the Kinsman-Woodland Hills area of Cleveland and serves about 300 students in grades K–3. VPWH is a part of the incredibly successful <a href="http://www.breakthroughschools.org/" target="_blank">Breakthrough Schools</a> network. Even with its early successes, recent events are pointing VPWH and <a href="http://www.breakthroughschools.org/" target="_blank">Breakthrough Schools</a> toward an even brighter future.</p>
<p>First, VPWH has hired Fran Trujillo as the head of school. Fran joined VPWH at the end of 2013, having recently led a pre-K–8 grade charter school in New Orleans. Fran has over thirty years of experience as an educator and over twenty years of experience as a head of school. Drawing from her vast experience, Fran embraces the importance of partnerships in learning. Fran passionately shares the Breakthrough philosophy that scholars grow and learn when their families and the school develop close partnerships.</p>
<p>In addition, the high-performing Breakthrough Network is undertaking an ambitious expansion, known as the “20/20 Plan.” The plan calls for Breakthrough to open more new schools to bring its network to twenty schools serving over 7,000 students by 2020. The bold plan has plenty of support from various parties, such as the <a href="http://www.clevelandmetroschools.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1" target="_blank">Cleveland Metropolitan School District</a> (CMSD), the office of <a href="http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/CityofCleveland/Home/Government/MayorsOffice" target="_blank">Mayor Frank Jackson</a>, and the <a href="http://clevelandta.org/" target="_blank">Cleveland Transformation Alliance</a>. It also has support from a collection of talented and accomplished members of the community through its Friends of Breakthrough group.</p>
<p>Fordham recently profiled the <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/ohio-gadfly-daily/cleveland-work-to-do-but-signs-of-hope" target="_blank">signs of promise</a> emerging from the important work that all of these groups have joined to together to accomplish on behalf of the students and families of Cleveland. Village Preparatory School :: Woodland Hills Campus, its dynamic new leader, and its parent network—and all are vital catalysts in the changes to come.</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 08 May 2014 13:11:34 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56938 at http://edexcellence.netCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: KIPP Columbus boosting the academic success of needy kidshttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-kipp
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: KIPP Columbus boosting the academic success of needy kids</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/aaron-churchill">Aaron Churchill </a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 07, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Columbus is the proud home to the Buckeye State’s lone KIPP charter school. Serving mainly poor and minority students from neighborhoods on the city’s east side, KIPP has quickly <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2012/06/22/kipp-helps-linden-area-kids-to-work-toward-higher-goals.html" target="_blank">gained notoriety</a> for making a big difference in their students’ lives. In fact, last school year, KIPP was ranked in the <a href="http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/ohio-gadfly-daily/national-school-choice-week-a-time-to-recognize" target="_blank">top 10 percent</a> of schools in the entire state, with respect to its impact on student academic growth (a.k.a. “value added”). KIPP is helping kids who need help the most to achieve educational success.</p>
<p>Under the guiding leadership of its superb board and executive team, KIPP Columbus has ambitious plans to grow, so that it will educate 2,000 students by 2020. (It presently educates roughly 300 students.) It is building a brand-new, <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/ohio-gadfly-daily/a-new-campus-for-kipp" target="_blank">state-of-the-art facility</a> that is set to open in August 2014. The facility is located on the site of a former Columbus State Community College golf course and makes every natural amenity—trees, hills, creeks—an integral part of the learning community. This is a part of Columbus many students rarely see, let alone interact with as part of their science and arts education.</p>
<p>KIPP Columbus is part of the national network of KIPP charter schools, which have 141 schools in twenty states. Rigorous evaluations conducted by Mathematica Policy Research have demonstrated the <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/ohio-gadfly-daily/2013/the-high-performing-charter-kipp-network-of-charters-primed-to-expand-in-columbus.html" target="_blank">significant, positive impacts</a> that the KIPP charter model has on their students’ achievement.</p>
<p>During National Charter Schools Week, we salute KIPP Columbus, one of Ohio’s finest charter schools.</p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 07 May 2014 13:24:08 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56928 at http://edexcellence.netCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Growth is in the works at Phoenix Community Learning Centerhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-growth-is
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: Growth is in the works at Phoenix Community Learning Center</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/miles-caunin-jd">Miles Caunin, J.D.</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 06, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/ohio-charters/phoenix-community-learning-center" target="_blank">Phoenix Community Learning Center</a> is in the midst of a structural renaissance. The school, Fordham’s only sponsored school in Cincinnati, has plans to expand their current school building, which would eventually add three classrooms and a media center. The improvements will be done to the basement level, wherein the total additional square footage will top 14,000 square feet. The additional space will also allow the lower grades to occupy the lower level of the building, while the upper grades occupy the upper levels of the school building.</p>
<p>Phoenix serves pupils in grades K–8 and is located in the Avondale community of Greater Cincinnati. Founded in 2001, it is a stalwart in its community and has seen its graduates move on to prestigious public and private high schools.</p>
<p>A strong expansion plan supports a growing enrollment trend at the school during the past two years, under the long-standing leadership of Superintendent Dr. Glenda Brown and School Leader Dr. Elaine Wilson. When implemented, the plan also envisions total enrollment well over four hundred pupils. </p>
<p>Charter school growth is one thing, but growth in a high-performing charter school is a cause for celebration, most notably for the students, their families, and the community. Although Phoenix has no formal timetable for the expansion, the old adage “the sooner, the better” is reflective of the excitement. Phoenix is enthusiastically taking public bids from contractors who may be interested in participating in their visions for the future, a vision which we aptly celebrate during National Charter Schools Week.</p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 06 May 2014 15:50:23 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56927 at http://edexcellence.netCelebrating National Charter Schools Week: Sciotoville Elementary Academyhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-sciotoville
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Celebrating National Charter Schools Week: Sciotoville Elementary Academy</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/kathryn-mullen-upton">Kathryn Mullen Upton</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/jeff-murray">Jeff Murray</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 05, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>As noted in our <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/fordham-celebrates-national-charter-schools-week" target="_blank">intro blog to this week’s series on National Charter Schools Week</a>, no two charter schools are alike. An excellent case in point is the two charter schools that Fordham sponsors in the Southern Ohio town of Sciotoville. In 2008, the existing schools in Sciotoville were traditional district schools in an area of the state hit hard by economic decline, but officials at the district took the bold step to convert their entire district into charter schools, severing some historic ties for families but maintaining many others. Sciotoville Elementary Academy is unique in a number of respects and is perhaps most indicative of administrators’ hopes for the future.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sea.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank">Sciotoville Elementary Academy</a> (SEA) was the second-highest-performing school by performance index (a state measure of student proficiency) in Fordham’s portfolio in 2012–13. Led by Principal Foresta Shope and Superintendent Rick Bowman, the school serves grades K–4; over 80 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged, similar to many of the historical Ohio River communities. In addition to delivering great academic outcomes for students, this school also offers a wealth of <a href="http://www.sea.k12.oh.us/pictures" target="_blank">activities</a> for students and parents. These include <a href="http://www.sea.k12.oh.us/news/junior_madrigals" target="_blank">Junior Madrigals</a>, Spelling Bee, community-service opportunities, an after-school enrichment program, and parent-engagement opportunities.</p>
<p>You can see that while SEA is a charter school in structure and function, the staff has taken great effort to make their school look and feel very much like it did when it was part of a traditional district. The structures in place prior to becoming a charter school were kept in place. That includes the school’s board. It is, to our knowledge, the only elected charter-school board in the state (a function of the organization’s bylaws, tradition, and respect for the community).</p>
<p>Faculty and staff of SEA work closely with their colleagues in <a href="http://www.east.k12.oh.us/" target="_blank">Sciotoville Community School</a> (offering grades 5–12), located just a few blocks away in a century-old school building with great association to the community’s past. Families of the elementary school often also participate in the activities offered at SCS, including supporting a <a href="http://www.east.k12.oh.us/sports" target="_blank">full complement of athletics</a> (basketball, cheerleading, volleyball, football, baseball, softball, and tennis), attending <a href="http://east.k12.oh.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=889281&amp;pageId=16904035&amp;objectId.649170=18876245&amp;contextId.649170=16904036&amp;parentId.649170=16904037&amp;action.649170=viewAlbum" target="_blank">art events</a>, and supporting SCS’s musical offerings (band and Madrigals).</p>
<p>Most students transition from Sciotoville Elementary Academy to Sciotoville Community School. Indeed, even though the two schools are in separate facilities, the strong school culture that permeates both makes them feel like a single school. And it’s not unusual for alums to come back and take teaching positions. This deep sense of community and belonging makes SEA a unique charter school in Ohio.</p>
<p>We captured some of what’s special about these schools in a video (available <a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/ohio-charters/sciotoville-community-school" target="_blank">here</a>) a few years ago, and we’re glad to be able to highlight the good work of the board, leadership, and staff of this exceptional school during National Charter Schools Week.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 05 May 2014 17:35:15 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56924 at http://edexcellence.netFordham celebrates National Charter Schools Weekhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/fordham-celebrates-national-charter-schools-week
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Fordham celebrates National Charter Schools Week</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/chad-aldis">Chad Aldis</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/jeff-murray">Jeff Murray</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 05, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>President Obama signed a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/02/presidential-proclamation-national-charter-schools-week-2014" target="_blank">Presidential Proclamation</a> naming May 4 through May 10 “National Charter Schools Week.” This reflects the growing bipartisan support enjoyed by charter schools across the nation. The widespread support shouldn’t be surprising given that there are nearly 6,500 independent charter schools serving more than 2.5 million children—many in our most economically disadvantaged areas.</p>
<p>Ohio’s charter growth has mirrored that of the nation, with 367 charter schools (in the 2012–13 school year) serving more than 115,000 students—6.5 percent of the state’s students. Unfortunately, there have been some high-profile school closures in the Buckeye State that have led some to question the impact of charter schools. And therein lies the problem.</p>
<p>There is a tendency in public discussion of charter schools to lump all charters together—for praise or for tarring—when, in most cases, no two schools are alike and actively resist reduction to “just another charter” with only a little investigation. True to the idea of experimentation and the quest for innovation that were instrumental in their creation, charter schools in Ohio can be almost anything: arts-centric, “no excuses,” STEM-focused, entirely online, or similar to a vocational school.</p>
<p>In honor of National Charter Schools Week, Fordham would like to show readers how varied its own portfolio of schools is, so we’ll be profiling a school each day this week with a snapshot of the staff, administrators, parents, and students who make up these strong and unique learning institutions. We believe these schools, like many other charter schools across Ohio, are making a difference for the communities they serve.</p>
<p><i>The posts in this series:</i></p>
<ul><li><i><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-sciotoville" target="_blank">Sciotoville Elementary Academy</a></i></li>
<li><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-growth-is" target="_blank"><em>Phoenix Community Learning Center</em></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-kipp" target="_blank"><em>KIPP Columbus</em></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-village" target="_blank"><em>Village Preparatory School :: Woodland Hills Campus</em></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-deca-prep"><em>DECA Prep</em></a></li>
<li><a href="http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/celebrating-national-charter-schools-week-columbus"><em>United Schools Network/Columbus Collegiate Academy</em></a></li>
</ul></div></div></div>Mon, 05 May 2014 15:31:51 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56922 at http://edexcellence.netThe 'Year of School Choice' bears fruithttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/the-year-of-school-choice-bears-fruit
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>The &#039;Year of School Choice&#039; bears fruit</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/chad-aldis">Chad Aldis</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">May 05, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>The <em>Wall Street Journal</em> dubbed 2011 “<a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304450604576420330972531442?mg=reno64-wsj">The Year of School Choice</a>” after more than a dozen states enacted school-choice legislation that spring. The seeds planted three years ago are now sprouting all over the country in the form of a record student enrollment in publicly funded private-school choice programs. This growth is captured brilliantly in a new publication from the Alliance for School Choice—<a href="http://createonline.com/AFC_2013-14_Yearbook.pdf"><em>School Choice Yearbook 2013–14: Hope. Action. Results</em>.</a></p>
<p>Through its compilation of data and use of graphs, the yearbook shows that the number of students participating in private-school choice programs during the 2013–14 school year is an increase of sixty thousand students—25 percent—from the prior year. This is the single biggest one-year increase in the history of private-school choice programs and brings the total number of participants to more than 308,000 students in eighteen states and the District of Columbia.</p>
<p>While the record number of participating students is the headline grabber in the yearbook, it’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the content. The yearbook, in its interactive digital version, expertly intermixes compelling personal stories with research, a history of the choice movement, detailed information on every private-school choice program, and charts and graphs comparing programs across states.</p>
<p>The colorful and attractive presentation of the yearbook may lead you to believe that it is data lite, but that would be a mistake. While it provides the information in a format simple enough for novices, it also serves as a great resource for the choice expert or seasoned reporter.</p>
<p>As school-choice programs continue to flourish, high-quality publications like the ASC School Choice Yearbook are critical to keep up with the growth. If you haven’t already, make sure you take a look at the <a href="http://www.allianceforschoolchoice.org/yearbook">yearbook</a> today.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 05 May 2014 13:37:35 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56919 at http://edexcellence.netOne state education agency takes an unprecedented and welcome stand for charter-school qualityhttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/one-state-education-agency-takes-an-unprecedented-and
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>One state education agency takes an unprecedented and welcome stand for charter-school quality</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/jeff-murray">Jeff Murray</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">April 28, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>In 2013, there were a shocking number of charter-school failures across Fordham’s home state of Ohio, including <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/12/charter-failure.html">seventeen in Columbus alone</a>—most of them first-year startups. In response, the Ohio Department of Education required additional paperwork from six authorizers (often referred to as sponsors) looking to start new schools in the 2014–15 school year. They subjected those sponsors to an additional level of scrutiny with regard to their vetting processes, hoping to zero in on weak structures and poor advance planning before startup funds were released and students began attending the schools.</p>
<p>Last Friday, the department took an unprecedented step and <a href="http://education.ohio.gov/Media/Media-Releases/Ohio-Department-of-Education-Warns-Sponsors-of-Con#.U1rJ2GpOUeh">issued a stern warning</a> to three authorizers that they will be “shut down” if they proceeded with plans to open six new community schools due to a number of deficiencies in that paperwork. The deficiencies identified had one thing in common: connections or similarities to other charters that had ceased operation voluntarily or had been shut down.</p>
<p>It’s a shame that this step was necessary, but the recent track record of Ohio’s authorizers and the recent findings both suggest there was a need for additional scrutiny. We applaud this bold step and commend State Superintendent Richard Ross and his team for swift and decisive action.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 28 Apr 2014 20:38:50 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56896 at http://edexcellence.netThe outer limits of school choicehttp://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/the-outer-limits-of-school-choice
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>The outer limits of school choice</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/jeff-murray">Jeff Murray</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 17, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>When we talk about educational choice on these pages, we are mostly speaking of charters, vouchers, digital learning, and the like. But in Fordham’s home state of Ohio, educational choice encompasses several other options, of which many families regularly avail themselves. Two of those “outer-limits” options have been in the news recently.</p>
<h2>Opting out</h2>
<p>In law, they are called “non-chartered, non-tax-supported” schools—NCNTs. In parlance, they are called “508 schools,” after <a href="http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/3301-35-08" target="_blank">the part of the Ohio Administrative Code</a> that describes them. In reality, they represent the furthest distance of “schools” from government oversight. Among the “entanglements” with state government: the setting of a minimum length of the school year and school day should be; the reporting of pupil population, withdrawals, and adds; minimum teacher qualifications; health and safety rules; and the requirement that a “regular promotion process” must be in place and followed (although it is clearly up to each school to determine its own process).</p>
<p>NCNT schools are something like homeschooling co-ops but with a structure more closely approximating that of private schools—tuition fees, group classes, social activities, field trips, and even sports. But NCNT schools are truly free to create whatever structures they like—strong religious grounding, classical education models, Montessori methods—as long as no one is concerned about obtaining a diploma backed by the state of Ohio. Luckily, colleges have discretion as to the credentials they’ll accept. To quote the <a href="http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/School-Choice/Private-Schools/Non-Chartered-Non-Tax-School-Information" target="_blank">Ohio Department of Education</a>, “Other schools, colleges, universities and employers have discretion over decisions regarding the acceptance of transferred credits, graduation credentials or a diploma being issued by a non-chartered school.” It’s not exactly a crap shoot to reach college from a 508 school, but it’s far from a sure thing.</p>
<p>And those folks must not be concerned. There are <a href="http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/School-Choice/Private-Schools/Non-Chartered-Non-Tax-School-Information/BySchool2013_2014NCNT.pdf.aspx" target="_blank">over 340 such schools</a> in operation in Ohio for the 2013–14 school year, with names like Galaxie Learning Academy, Kopasetic Christian Academy, God’s Teen School, Absorbent Minds Montessori School, Alektor Academy, and Veritas Classical Christian Academy. They are numerous, and the field is growing—the number of schools statewide up nearly 12 percent from the 2012–13 school year.</p>
<p>Recent news stories from Southern Ohio seem to indicate that the fight against Common Core implementation and related testing may be a spur for further growth in NCNT schools (see our earlier note about regular promotion processes). Parents are perhaps coming to realize that “opting out” is the only sure way <a href="http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/557021/Parents-form-new-private-school.html" target="_blank">to keep their children from Common Core</a>. In fact, the <em>Marietta Times</em> notes that NCNT schools have actually become the <a href="http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/557510/Core-issues.html" target="_blank">most common form of school choice</a> available in their area.</p>
<h2>Opting in</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.ohio.com/news/local/how-open-enrollment-works-1.470251" target="_blank">Open enrollment</a> has also seen its share of media attention of late. In Ohio, districts can choose to open their schools to neighboring districts or even to all students from outside their boundaries—or they can choose to remain closed. Here is how the situation has stacked up in the 2013–14 school year:</p>
<p><img alt="Source: Ohio Department of Education (includes 614 traditional districts and 49 vocation schools)" height="100" width="479" style="width: 479px; height: 100px;" class="media-element file-default" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/State%20Open%20Enrollment%20Totals.jpg" /></p>
<p>Nearly <a href="http://www.ohio.com/news/ohio-s-open-enrollment-shifts-360-million-and-72-000-students-across-districts-1.470365" target="_blank">72,000 students are taking advantage of open enrollment statewide</a> this school year, and its popularity is growing—more than doubling in the last ten years.</p>
<p>A recent series of <a href="http://www.ohio.com/news/local/open-enrollment-in-ohio-schools-leads-to-racial-economic-segregation-in-akron-and-elsewhere-1.470197" target="_blank">hatchet pieces</a> and <a href="http://www.ohio.com/editorial/editorials/grade-of-incomplete-1.470917" target="_blank">an editorial</a> in the <em>Akron Beacon Journal</em> have tried to paint open enrollment as reinstating segregation and leading to the demise of free sports and art programs. Inevitably, discussion of open enrollment focuses on “winners” and “losers” and often boils down to money: net gainers of kids are happy, net losers of kids are not. State superintendents have deemed “<a href="http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/557632/OPEN-ENROLLMENT--Big-money-at-stake.html?nav=5002" target="_blank">quality programming</a>” the reason that folks flock to a district, but those same supes seem to have no idea why students would leave.</p>
<p>In something of a twist, one district in Northeast Ohio, a net gainer of kids, <a href="http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20140307/west-geauga-school-board-reduces-open-enrollment-numbers" target="_blank">has recently decided to reduce the number of open-enrollment students</a> they will allow in next year—not due to a lessening of parental interest but apparently due to guilt. The district from which they were receiving the most students is so broke that it’s considering merging with a third district to save costs.</p>
<p>The state was concerned enough to convene a taskforce—chaired by outgoing Reynoldsburg superintendent Steve Dackin—to review open-enrollment policies and procedures. Their <a href="http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/School-Choice/Open-Enrollment/Open-Enrollment-Task-Force/OE-funding-recommendations-FINAL-WITH-COVER.pdf.aspx" target="_blank">final report </a>made recommendations around per-pupil funding options, facilities funding, extracurricular activities, special-needs students, and student-performance reporting on district report cards.</p>
<p>The one thing the task force didn’t comment on: shrinking or curtailing open enrollment.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:23:04 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56736 at http://edexcellence.netBrother, can you spare a scholarship?http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/brother-can-you-spare-a-scholarship
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>Brother, can you spare a scholarship?</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/patrick-wolf">Patrick Wolf</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 05, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/uaeincredible/231011361/" target="_blank"><img height="533" width="799" style="width: 610px; height: 407px;" class="media-element file-default" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://edex.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/231011361_4a4a257a60_o_0.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Last week President Obama announced a five-year, $200 million charitable initiative called My Brother’s Keeper to help young African American men. The program seeks to address the many disparities in outcomes for black men, including large gaps with white men regarding high-school graduation rates, college enrollment and completion rates, lifetime earnings, longevity, and the likelihood of incarceration. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/us/politics/obama-will-announce-initiative-to-empower-young-black-men.html?_r=0" target="_blank">According to <em>The New York Times</em>, “early-childhood development, school readiness, educational opportunity, discipline, parenting, and the criminal justice system”</a> will be the foci of the initiative. The President also ordered his administration to <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/02/27/president-obama-launches-my-brothers-keeper-his-new-initiative-help-young-men-color" target="_blank">“determine the best methods to improve the odds for young men of color.”</a></p>
<p>We should be thrilled that our President has acknowledged publicly the persistent challenges that young African American men face in modern day America and, more importantly, has pledged to encourage concrete actions to address those challenges. The first step Mr. Obama should take is to push for more private-school choice through vouchers or scholarship programs. The President’s own U.S. Department of Education has already determined that such programs significantly improve educational attainment for African Americans.</p>
<p>Three evaluations of private-school choice programs have followed enough students for sufficiently long to determine their effects on the rates of high-school graduation, college enrollment, or both. <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104018/pdf/20104018.pdf" target="_blank">A 2010 evaluation of the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program that I led for the U.S. Department of Education</a> found that students offered private-school choice by winning a random lottery graduated from high school at the rate of 82 percent, compared with 70 percent for the control group. The impact of actually using an Opportunity Scholarship was to increase the likelihood of graduation by 21 percentage points, from 70 percent to 91 percent. Over 90 percent of the participants in the study were African American, and almost all of the rest were Latino American.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/PDF/Papers/PEPG12-10.pdf" target="_blank">A similarly rigorous experimental study of the impact of privately funded partial-tuition K–12 scholarships on college-enrollment rates</a> was conducted by Paul Peterson of Harvard University and Matthew Chingos of the Brookings Institution. They followed a large group of low-income elementary students in New York City for over a decade after half of them were awarded private-school scholarships by lottery, while the other half were randomly assigned to the control group. They determined that the impact of using a private-school scholarship was to raise the college enrollment rate for African Americans in the study from 36 percent to 45 percent, a gain of 9 percentage points that represented nearly a 25 percent improvement over the control-group rate. <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/quickreviewsum.aspx?sid=165" target="_blank">As with the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program evaluation</a>, President Obama’s very own Department of Education <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/SingleStudyReview.aspx?sid=218" target="_blank">assigned this study its highest rating for scientific rigor</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, I worked with a large team of researchers to evaluate the effect of the nation’s oldest and largest urban school-voucher program, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psj.12006/full" target="_blank">on student educational attainment in the form of high-school graduation, college enrollment, and college persistence</a>. Over two-thirds of the students in our study were African American, and almost all the rest were Latino American. We found that low-income students who used a voucher to enroll in a private school in ninth grade subsequently graduated from high school, enrolled in a four-year college, and persisted in college at rates that were 4–7 percentage points higher than statistically similar Milwaukee students who started in public schools in ninth grade. These higher rates of educational attainment due to the Milwaukee voucher program represent improvements of 15–20 percent over the rates obtained by the comparison group of public-school students—nearly as large as those for the African American students in the New York City study.</p>
<p>Given the results of these three studies, one which was overseen by the U.S. Department of Education and two which were recognized with the Department’s highest award for rigor, we might expect President Obama to receive a swift response regarding his call for the federal government to search for programs that boost educational outcomes for African American men. The U.S. Department of Education need not search far and wide for such initiatives: they have already found one. Research shows that private-school choice through vouchers or scholarships is one of our nation’s most effective dropout-prevention programs for African Americans. It should be number one on the list of programs that President Obama encourages My Brother’s Keeper to support. But, apparently, it isn’t.</p>
<p>In fact, President Obama’s 2015 budget proposal includes no program funding whatsoever for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, even though his U.S. Department of Education found it to be highly effective in promoting educational attainment for low-income African Americans. Why would the President use his phone to encourage nonprofits to promote educational opportunities for African Americans, but then use his pen to defund a federal government program already proven to do just that? Certainly that is not the sort of action one expects from his brother’s keeper.</p>
<p><em>Patrick J. Wolf is professor of education policy and endowed Twenty-First-Century Chair in school choice at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.</em></p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 05 Mar 2014 15:17:19 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56694 at http://edexcellence.netA school choice proposal with legs…in New York State?http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/a-school-choice-proposal-with-legs%E2%80%A6in-new-york-state
<div class="field field-name-title field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="dc:title"><h1>A school choice proposal with legs…in New York State?</h1></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-article-related-staff field-type-entityreference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/about-us/fordham-staff/michael-brickman.html">Michael Brickman</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-post-date field-type-ds field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">March 03, 2014</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>As legislative sessions across the country continue to wind down, it's worth keeping tabs on some of the big private-school-choice proposals still under consideration. I've already covered the <a href="http://edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-daily/choice-words/a-chance-for-mississippi-to-get-out-of-the" target="_blank">Mississippi education-savings-account proposal</a>, which has the potential to be only the second such program after Arizona. There are also voucher proposals in <a href="http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/b33b8f17193440078a30ac98bbca32b4/TN-XGR--School-Vouchers" target="_blank">Tennessee</a> and <a href="http://www.adn.com/2014/02/12/3322709/amendment-backers-decision-to.html" target="_blank">Alaska</a> that have been well covered elsewhere and may see passage this year. But one state providing a little bit of a late surprise is New York, where legislators are considering an Education Investment Tax Credit that could mean significant additional funding for public schools and privately run scholarship programs.</p>
<p>The latest version of the bill pending in the Assembly is smartly crafted to provide a little bit for everyone. First, individuals or corporations will be able to donate to eligible organizations in order to claim a portion (up to 75 percent of taxes owed or $1 million per filer, whichever is less) of the up to $300 million in dollar-for-dollar credits. Eligible contributions will be restricted so that they are split evenly between public-school programs and private-school scholarships for students living in households making $300,000 or less. A revised Senate version likely will place the income threshold at $500,000—the same income cutoff as Mayor deBlasio's proposal for tax hikes to fund prekindergarten. Under both versions of the bill, teachers could also receive a credit up to $200 for school supplies.</p>
<p>The proposal is especially interesting, not only because it is in a deep blue state with a Democrat governor and state assembly, but also because, if successful, it would provide a compelling argument for this particular approach to passing school choice.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.becketfund.org/the-blaine-admendments/#tab5" target="_blank">Becket Fund for Religious Liberty</a>, there are thirty-seven states (including New York) with so-called Blaine Amendments, which are amendments to state constitutions barring state support of sectarian organizations. Many view these laws as enforcing a broad "separation of church and state," but they were typically designed to provide a legal justification for discrimination—usually against Catholics. Some state provisions are stricter than others, which do not necessarily prohibit private school choice altogether. That said, they do create hoops that designers of such programs must jump through.</p>
<p>But in some Blaine states, where restrictions are so tight as to make voucher programs impracticable, there are other options. One alternative of questionable usefulness is to, as with the aforementioned Alaska effort, attempt to repeal or modify the Blaine Amendment itself (a <a href="http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S7730-2011" target="_blank">proposal</a> to do this in New York in 2012 didn't go anywhere). While this option is attractive for its simplicity, the process for changing state constitutions is often just far too cumbersome. The other option is a tax-credit program, which typically passes state constitutional muster because the charitable donations being stimulated are private money, not public, and the charitable donations never hit the state treasury. Such programs already exist in Blaine states like Arizona, Indiana, and Georgia.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.investined.org/" target="_blank">Supporters </a>of the bill feel confident in both houses of the legislature; the Senate passed a similar bill in 2012, and the Assembly has roughly two-thirds of its membership signed on as cosponsors. Governor Cuomo has not yet indicated publicly whether he will include the plan in the final budget being negotiated in time for a March rollout. New York's Constitution, which includes gubernatorial item veto power, gives the governor, not known as a shrinking violet, substantial power to get his way. At this point, no one knows where the governor would come out on important details of any final proposal, however.</p>
<p>Despite providing up to $150 million for public schools, the state school boards association is against it, and the NYSUT's <a href="https://www.nysut.org/news/nysut-united/issues/2013/december-2013-january-2014/education-investment-tax-credit-act-the-bill-is-nothing-more-than-a-back-door-voucher-plan" target="_blank">press release</a> unsurprisingly, and in accordance with the union-mandated template, reads, "increased class sizes...ALEC...Koch brothers...Back-door voucher proposals...Defunding public schools...TAKE ACTION." Also unsurprisingly, advocates note the misleading nature of these well-worn claims.</p>
<p>Still, the proposal has momentum and might just pass before legislators hit the campaign trail later this year. In New York, of all places, it's good to see state leaders showing strong support for a proposal that could both expand options and provide additional funding for students who remain in traditional public schools. Legislators in the Empire State should pass this bill, and other Blaine states should take note, too.</p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:11:52 +0000ptatz@edexcellence.net56690 at http://edexcellence.net